Maryland has a higher rate of coverage by private sector employers

Meredith Cohn

Just 17 percent of Maryland’s adult private sector workers went without health insurance in 2010, compared with 22 percent nationally, according to a report put out by the Maryland Health Care Commission.

The commission looks at private employers biennially, and found more private sector employees were getting their insurance through work in Maryland though the employers weren’t offering insurance more often than the national average -- about 88 percent of employers offer insurance.

Maryland does have a higher rate of small firms, which are those with fewer than 10 employers, which offer insurance. That’s about 57 percent of the companies offering coverage versus 41 percent nationally.

The report also found that from 2004 to 2010, premiums rose at about the same rate as across the country. Those in a PPO style plan, which is the most common, saw 3.5 percent increases annually. That translated to an average increase from $3,843 to $4,726 a year for individuals. For families, the increase was 6.1 percent annually, translating into an increase from $9,818 to $14, 015.

Single employees paid about 23 percent of the premium and families paid about 27 percent.

The majority, about 65 percent, had a deductible, though nationally 78 percent had one. The average across the country was about $1,200 for singles and $2,400 for families.

In Maryland, more companies chose to self insure than nationally – 68 percent versus 58 percent – which means they took on the financial risk for workers’ medical claims.